Catch Me If You Can
by Skywalker2101
Summary: The woman known to the Empire as Carmen Rogue has defected to the Alliance & fallen in love with Luke Skywalker. When Skywalker faces Vader at Bespin, he not only loses his right hand and his innocence- but his lover and her trust. The two chase each other from one end of the galaxy to the next for over a decade... until one final confrontation will leave blood on both their hands.


**Summary:** Carmen Rogue still defects from the Galactic Empire, but Luke Skywalker makes a different choice over Bespin. Skywalker helps Vader to kill the Emperor, allowing him to gain his new title: Lord Skywalker. Henceforth, the Legendary Rivalry of Carmen Rogue & Luke Skywalker continues. Skywalker- enraged because of rejection- chases Rogue from one end of the galaxy to the next for over a decade... until one final confrontation that will leave blood on both of their hands.

**Genre:** Angst, Romance

**Timespan:** ESB AU (The Other Life of Carmen Rogue)

**Rating:**

**Catch Me If You Can**

**Chapter I: Decisions**

Darth Vader stood over Luke Skywalker, victorious and triumphant. _Father_ and _son_ faced each other. Hate, anger, and shock enveloped the young Jedi.

"Join me," the Dark Lord called once again, "It is the only way."

Luke glanced downward. He didn't _have_ to do it, join his father. He could fall to his death instead. _No_, his mind muttered, _You can't._ He glanced at what was left of his right arm. _You'd need a replacement_, his mind muttered once more, _A new lightsaber, too._

He looked back towards Vader and his extended hand, waiting to pull him to safety- an entire unsuspecting galaxy waiting for them both to rule over. _For Carmen_, he thought, _To protect her from all of the harm in this ill-fated galaxy._ He took a deep breath then he took a small step towards his father. Vader took him by the arm and helped the young man to safety.

Vader lead his son to his shuttle. The shuttle flew them both to Vader's personal Star Destroyer- the _Executor_. Skywalker soon had his right forearm replaced with a prosthetic right forearm.

**Chapter II: The Mission**

Carmen Rogue determinedly strode into the conference room. She found all of the Rebellion's leaders turn to face her. She recognized a few of them. She saw General Madine and Mon Mothma; Jaster, Mara, and Leia were there, too.

Carmen gave a resigned sigh and slumped into a chair. "If this has anything to do with Skywalker, I _refuse_ to comply." General Madine scoffed at her statement and growled, "What makes you think it does?" Carmen scoffed and growled back, "You know better than anyone here than to think that I _wouldn't_."

Silence enveloped the conference room. Jaster pushed a datapad before her in silence after a few minutes, an expression of sadness making its way onto his face.

Carmen sighed and pulled it into her grasp. She powered it on, a black background with white writing- the detailing of her mission.

OBJECTIVE: KILL LUKE SKYWALKER

She didn't bother reading anymore of it. Carmen gnashed her teeth together in anger and hate. She stood up from her place and bit out, "I will _not_ kill Skywalker. Regardless of his darkness and what's happened in the past few days, I won't kill him. It isn't because of my _relationship_ with him. It's because we _all_ have darkness within ourselves. The darkness within is no reason to kill someone."

She turned to leave, but Madine bit out, "You aren't to leave _yet_, Rogue."

Carmen slowly turned back to face Madine. "Whether you like it or not, Madine, I'm _leaving_. I will have no part in this." She strode from the conference room, tears of rage and hatred filling her eyes.

Not long later, there was a knock at the durasteel door of her quarters. Carmen groaned and stood from her place at the bedside. She opened the door, revealing her older brother Jaster.

His navy blue eyes were dulled from learning of the fact that his most trusted friend was one with the enemy and barely visible from beneath his jet black bangs. He held his sister close. "I'm sorry, Carmen."

There was the pain in his voice in which he was unable to ever hide. Carmen looked up at her brother. "I'm sorry, too." There was an unbearable pain in her voice that she couldn't and refused to hide.

**Chapter III: Betrayals & Realizations**

Carmen Rogue took a deep breath as she stood before the mirror, revealing her disheveled appearance. She splashed some water on her face then she ran her prosthetic right hand through her unruly deep brown hair.

It had been days since Han Solo had been frozen in carbonite and delivered to the Tatooine-based crimelord Jabba the Hutt. It had also been days since Luke Skywalker had surrendered to Darth Vader.

Rogue hadn't slept in any of those days.

Carmen took a deep breath then determinedly strode from the 'fresher of the quarters she would have shared with Luke. She pulled the box from beneath the lower bunk. "Oh, Luke. Why do you have to make me do this?" She swallowed hard as she pulled her twin blaster pistols from the beskar-plated box. She holstered both of them then hooked her lightsabers to her belt.

She tugged her rancor skin jacket onto her torso. Her rancor skin jacket lay over her long-sleeved, collared black shirt. She knew the _Home One_ was nearing Coruscant. She knew what she had to do.

She was to kill Luke and succeed her mission.

That... or she'd risk the crumbling of the _entire_ Alliance. She'd argued as much as she could on the subject, showing how much she _truly_ disagreed about it.

When she had all the weapons she needed- including a set of stun cuffs- she made her way out the door of her quarters and to the Alliance hangar that held her ship- the _Rogue's Revenge_. Just before she could make it, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She swiftly turned around to see Mara Jade.

Her fiery red hair- which was presently ungroomed- seemed as dreary as the Alliance's mood as it hung down her shoulders and back. Once blazing with pride, her emerald green eyes were dulled from shock and the pain of losing a good friend and ally. Mara held her dear friend with all of the strength she had, hoping to pass on some strength to Carmen.

Mara gazed at her with a determination that sparked at her fiery personality. "I want to help you with this. You know you'd need me on this mission." Carmen shook her head. "I can't risk losing you to him. I'll risk myself and that's it." She paused. "If I don't return in thirty minutes _on the dot_, you tell Leia to command the Alliance to leave Coruscant and to scatter around the galaxy. You included, Mara. Jaster'll protect you and Leia."

Mara shook her head in disbelief. "What about you? What are you going to do?" Carmen had already started to advance up the boarding ramp before she turned around to see her dearest friend. "Mara... I'll be fine. I'll bring Luke back _alive_ whether Madine likes it or not. I am in _no_ mood to be dealing with his _childish_ antics. We were _Hands_, Mara. We can handle ourselves perfectly fine. Plus there's the fact that we were trained as Jedi as well."

Mara nodded as she lowered her gaze. Carmen turned to finish her advance up the boarding ramp. "I'll see you again, Mara." She turned her head back just a little. "I promise."

Mara looked back up just as the boarding ramp shut. A few minutes later, the Corellian freighter lifted from the hangar and out the exit.

Song for This Chapter- Find Mii II "Title" by: Nintendo

**Chapter IV: Into the Storm**

Carmen landed the freighter on the tattered surface of Coruscant, far from the Imperial Palace.

She wore her Mandalorian armor she'd had in storage, plated red and gold as a high-ranking bounty hunter. She weaved her way around the streets and casually made her way to the base of the Palace. She entered the Palace, her presence cloaked with the Force.

Two red-armored Royal Guards walked up to her, pointing their Force pikes at her. She held up a hand then they flew across the room. She used the Force to pull a Force pike into her right hand.

She pounded the bottom of the pike on the metal ground; the many royal guards turned to face her. She counted about ten.

That was the minimum.

She cocked her head in challenge. "Who cares to challenge me?" Her voice was more of a shout.

"I'll gladly challenge you." She knew that voice all too well.

She turned around to see the form of Luke Skywalker.

Her former ally, her former lover.

Now... her enemy.

Her _greatest_ enemy.

His sapphire eyes were blazing with hate. His sandy blond hair was neatly trimmed and brushed. He was dressed from head to toe in black.

Like his father before him.

She threw the Force pike from her grasp with her right hand.

_Showtime_ was her silent thought.

"Shall we dance, my love?"

Luke raised a brow at her in confusion.

She used her left hand to bring the T-visor helmet from her head.

Her deep brown hair flowed from its place and dangled down her shoulders and back. Her deep brown eyes- once blazing with triumph and passion- were dulled from the fright and pain of these past darkened days.

If he was surprised, he didn't show it. Neither a gasp of surprise nor a smile of kindness, she suspected what the Force had begged her to see.

Luke Skywalker was gone.

He was dead.

Not physically nor in the Force. His beautiful sapphire eyes hadn't showed so much pain or hate...

Nor _darkness_...

Nor _betrayal_...

Nor... _love_.

_Love?_ she wondered. _If he loved me so kriffin' much, why did he betray me? Why did he betray Jaster? Why did he betray Leia? Why did he betray Mara? Why did he betray Han?_

He smiled at her.

It wasn't of love nor passion nor kindness.

It was of pride and darkness and loss.

Pride of following in his father's footsteps.

Darkness of the Force.

Loss of his light.

The light she loved; the light she cherished.

The light she followed.

The light that guided her from her own loss of light.

He reached out to grasp her hand, but she stepped back from him. He gave her a curious look. "Come here." She shook her head. "_Please_, Carmen."

_He said please._ her mind muttered.

_I don't care._ she returned. _He's evil now._

Song for This Chapter- Savin' Me by: Nickelback

**Chapter V: In the Belly of the Beast**

She pulled the lightsaber from her belt and ignited its blade, the emerald sword of light blazing with pride. She held up her head, her body in a defensive stance. "I'm here to take back what Vader has stolen from me," she said, determination curling her tone and solidifying her brightened aura. "I'm here to bring back the love I've lost."

Luke brought a lightsaber from his own belt before igniting the crimson sword of the Sith. "So you chose the crumbling Rebellion over the one you love?" Carmen raised her brown brows. She pointed the emerald blade at him as she circled him and said, "You speak as if 'the one I love' isn't you."

There was a fire in her eyes as she added, "And _you're_ the one who chose the _tyranny_ over the rebels fighting to restore democracy!" She noted that her words had caught him off-guard, allowing a smile to curl her lips.

He gaped at her, a fire in his eyes. He swung his lightsaber's crimson blade towards her. Carmen blocked his blade with her own blade, the blades sparking grey green as they clashed. He continuously slammed his blade against her own blade. He eventually led her into the Emperor's throne room, where the Emperor had been consulting Vader.

She found herself surrounded.

She looked from Luke to Vader. She turned to her former master. "You have returned," he said, the pity lining his slithery tone. Carmen scoffed. "Yeah," she returned, hatred lining her attitude. "I'll bring Luke back to the light whether you like it or whether you don't."

"Kill him."

Carmen stood frozen in her place after she heard the words.

Luke had said the words.

_You don't obey orders from anyone except for your Emperor. You are a Hand, a servant._ Her mind was a constant reminder of her past. _No,_ she thought, _I am a Jedi. I am a Jedi like my mother. I am a Jedi like my father._

_I am a Jedi like my precious Luke had been._

**Chapter VI: Her Pain & Her Life**

She turned to face the man she had loved, the man she refused to let go of. She gazed into his blazing sapphire eyes. The beautiful blue orbs once shined with love and affection and light. That love and affection and light was replaced with hate and antipathy and darkness.

She looked at her lightsaber- the same weapon she'd had when she had sworn to kill the man. She looked back at him, a soft smile curling her lips. He curiously looked at her. She simply chuckled. "You don't remember, do you?" He scoffed at her, "Remember what?"

She smiled as she returned, "That day."

"What day?"

Carmen rolled her eyes as she tossed the weapon aside. "You're not Luke Skywalker anymore, are you?" Luke glared at her and replied, "I _am_ Luke Skywalker." She shook her head. "You're _not_ Skywalker. Skywalker would know _that_ day."

She chuckled as she walked over to a window that oversaw all of Coruscant. "I remember it here," she continued sagely, "I remember looking out these windows to oversee all of Coruscant." She looked back towards Luke. "I remember being in this very room. _That_ day, Luke. I had been on one knee, with that decaying _candle_ of an emperor circling me telling me of my mission." She gestured for him to bend down. He did.

"_You will kill Luke Skywalker_," she recited in his ear.

"He will do the very same thing to you," she went on, turning away from him, "He will tell you, _You will kill Carmen Rogue_. You will hunt me down with all of your energy and with all of your heart's content just to please your master. He will tell you things to make you turn on your father; he will tell your father things to make him turn on you. He will rip your family limb from limb until you have embraced the dark side so wholy and willingly. You will become your father."

She looked back at him. "You will become the Emperor's pet. You will be the Emperor's servant. You will be alongside him until the end of your days. He will find another apprentice to take your place. That apprentice will strike you down with all of their _strength_ and all of their _hatred_. Then..." she laughed with mild amusement, "Then, it will start all over again." Luke shook his head with denial. "No..." he croaked out.

"Yes," she returned, "It will happen. It has been the Sith way for over a millenia. The new apprentice has killed the former apprentice. The apprentice killed the master. It is simply the way of the Sith." She gave a mild smile. _Such a waste_, she thought darkly, _He used to be so noble and pure._


End file.
